Joelle Khoury facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joelle Khoury
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| Background information | |
| Born | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Genres | Jazz, Contemporary classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, Composer, Lecturer. |
| Years active | 1995–present |
Joelle Khoury is a talented Lebanese-American musician. She is a pianist and composer who creates both jazz and contemporary classical music.
Contents
About Joelle Khoury
Joelle Khoury was born in Beirut, Lebanon. When the Lebanese Civil War started, she moved to the United States. There, she studied Economics and Musicology at George Mason University in Virginia.
After some years, Joelle returned to Lebanon. She earned a Master's Degree in Philosophy from Saint Joseph University. She also received a piano diploma from the Lebanese Higher Conservatory of Music.
Joelle has traveled to many countries for her music. She has been invited to France, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and the United States. In 2013, she was a special guest at the MacDowell Colony. There, she worked on a cool show called Palais de femmes, which combined different art forms.
For nearly 20 years, Joelle has written many pieces of music. These include classical music for small groups and philharmonic orchestras. She also writes music for her own jazz band. Joelle believes that true music comes from a unique idea. She thinks it should show the composer's own personality, not just be "Western" or "Eastern." She loves to mix different styles like jazz, classical, and electronic music.
Joelle is also very interested in philosophy. After many years of making music, she earned a PhD in philosophy.
Amazing Musical Works
In 1995, Joelle Khoury started a jazz band called In-Version. This group plays her original songs. Their music mixes a modern jazz style called bebop with complex counterpoint lines. This means different melodies play at the same time, creating a rich sound. Songs like "Circles" and "Is it so!" from her album Is it so! are great examples. In these songs, the main tune and the background music are equally important. She uses this same idea in some of her classical pieces too.
Joelle also composed an opera called "Dream she is" in 2008. It's a special kind of opera for one woman's voice. The singer Fadia Tomb El Hage performed it. It was first played in Beirut by a Belgian orchestra. Later, it was performed in Austria by Kremerata Baltica and in Switzerland by the TaG ensemble.
Her piece "Variations on Imaginary Folk Dances" is for a string orchestra and a singer. It takes traditional Middle Eastern songs and gives them a modern classical twist. The famous Kremerata Baltica orchestra asked her to write this piece for their 2012 concert. It was performed again in Germany in 2014, along with another piece called "Of Memories, Folks and I." Both pieces use Middle Eastern folk music but sound very modern. The Lebanese singer Fadia Tomb El Hage performed them.
Joelle also rearranged a traditional Syriac church song called "Morning Star." She made it for a brass quintet. Another piece she wrote is "Getting Along," a concerto for two marimbas and a string orchestra. It was performed in Italy in 2008.
Joelle has also created multimedia shows. These shows combine poetry, acting, music, and painting. Some examples include Senghor, Électroésie, Les poètes témoignent, and Palais de femmes.
Albums by Joelle Khoury
Jazz Albums
- Tumbling up, with In-Version, the Joelle Khoury Quintet (1999).
- Is it so!, with In-Version, the Joelle Khoury Quintet (2005).
- Beirut Jazz 2020, with In-Version, the Joelle Khoury Quintet (2020).
Classical and Opera Albums
- Music and poetry, features eleven pieces for chamber orchestra and voice. These songs are based on German romantic poems. It was recorded live in 2003.
- Dream she is, an Arabic opera for a woman's voice. It was composed for Fadia Tomb El-Hage and recorded live in Beirut.
Other Recorded Music
- Arabian Fantasy In Blue, a piece for flute, cello, and piano. It was created for the Meinenger Trio and a German radio station in 2013.
- Anta al Waheed (The one and only), a polyphonic piece from 2013. It mixes modern styles with a hint of Middle Eastern music.
- Vers le Soleil Bleu, and Zarqa'a A Shamsu, are both on the album Masarat (2020). Fadia Tomb El Hage sings Lebanese authors and composers with the Fragments Ensemble.
Other Performances
- Sleep, a piece for choir, organ, and timpani based on a text by James Joyce. It was performed in 2004.
- Soliloquy, a symphonic piece with three movements. The Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra performed it in 2005.
- Aaah!..., a composition dedicated to John Cage. It uses text from Virginia Woolf's book Between the Acts and was performed in 2006.
- Alone Together 2, a piece for qanun, cello, and violin. It was recorded in Germany in 2011.
- Moods Rhythms and Changes, for three percussionists, cello, and piano. This piece was created for Symblema Percussion in Paris in 2011.
- Ala Dal'ona, a Middle Eastern folk song arranged for four hands on the piano. It was performed in the USA in 2011 and 2017.
- Just Hold Me Tight, a solo violin piece by George Yammine. It blends Middle Eastern scales with modern atonal music. It was recorded in 2012.
- Tidbits, a series of short variations on a theme inspired by a Middle Eastern chant (2018).
Articles and Books
Joelle Khoury has also written articles and books, including:
- "Times Goes One Way - Against the Classification of Arts".
- "Die Geschichte - Ein göttliches Gedicht" ("History, a divine poem"). This article connects Bach's music style to Leibniz's Monadology.
- "The Body Without Organs... said the Eye to the Ear: Deleuzian thematics in Sophocles, Mann, Beckett and Süskind".
- Beyrouth va et vient ; Ceci n'est pas un journal. This book was published in 2025.
See also
- Women in jazz
- Women in music
